If there's anything that I am sucker of, it is definitely eyeshadow palettes and let's just say I came home with a huge dent in my wallet because of one particular palette - The Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Eyeshadow in The Starlet No. 204.
So why this palette instead of the infamous Lolita one? The first and foremost reason is because by Fri afternoon, there were no more Lolita palettes left in stock :( The Starlet palette itself is the last 3 they had. Now I'm not sure if this is a blessing in disguise since, honestly speaking, I do not need another neutral palette. The Starlet gives more breadth of colour since it has a mix of neutral and bright colours all in shimmery finish thus giving me the best of both world. The second reason is because Temptalia herself also gives this particular palette an A grade.
The palette comes in a sleek black box and a pouch containing the eyeshadow palette as well as a mini eyeshadow applicator which I most probably will not use (brushes, in my opinion, always apply shadows better compare to sponge applicators)
The palette consist of a huge mirror and 7 colours all in a metallic shimmer finish. From left to right:
Colour #1 - a taupe with a hint of metallic sheen
Colour #2 - a pink champagne shimmery colour
Colour #3 - a shimmery dark brown colour
Colour #4 - a shimmery coppery orange with warm undertone
Colour #5 - a yellow gold-ish metallic finish
Colour #6 - a silvery grey metallic colour
Colour #7 - a dark grey metallic colour
Below are some swatches in natural lighting:
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| 1st row from left: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5. 2nd row from left :#6, #7 |
First impression:
I am a huge fan of the packaging - it's lightweight, sleek and easy to clean. This is definitely one of most good looking palettes I've seen :) The Starlet sure has a mix of everyday kind of colour as well as more daring colours.
Application wise:
All the colours have very good consistency - it is buttery, easy to apply and easy to blend. The colour payoff is also very good. What you see in the palette is what you get when you blend the colours on your lid. The only downside is the shimmer fallout, especially for the Colour #2 and Colour #5. I would suggest you either put a tape/tissue below your eyes while applying the shadows and do your face makeup afterwards to prevent lots of touch up for your face.
Some looks I've played around (check the video above on how the products and colours used):
Look 1
Look 2
Look 3
Overall review:
The things that I like from this palette is definitely the packaging and the colour consistency. The palette definitely is of superior quality and has that luxury feel to it which explains its price tag. The colours in my opinion are pretty flattering and easy to use/blend.
On the downside, I have to honestly say that I am not a huge fan of the price tag. I will not recommend this palette if you're looking for a value-for-money kind of palette. This Marc Jacobs palette retails for S$90 and comes with 7 shadows and a small sponge applicator; compare this to Urban Decay's Naked palettes which retails for S$83 and comes with 12 colours and a dual-brush.
Another downside is specifically linked to The Starlet palette. Given all the colours fall under the shimmer and metallic finish, I do feel the need to supplement this palette with matte colours, transition colours as well as highlighting ones. Although it's a compact and lightweight palette, I can foresee this will not be the palette I'll bring when I travel :( maybe I'll have a different story to tell if this is the Lolita palette...
All in all, whether this palette is a worthy purchase depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a value-for-money palette, I suggest you skip this (maybe until there's a sale coming up) but if you're a sucker for packaging, a fan of Marc Jacobs or has tons of neutral palettes on hand, then The Starlet palette can be an alternative to consider beside The Lolita eyeshadow palette.
